Seedling census finishes on Barro Colorado Island

December 17, 2012

The census of some 60,000 seedlings on Barro Colorado Island's 50-hectare forest dynamics plot has concluded for this year

The census of some 60,000 seedlings on Barro Colorado Island's 50-hectare forest dynamics plot has concluded for this year. The annual tally has broadened understanding of tropical forests, especially in terms of the early life stages of trees, some of which endure years or even decades as seedlings. The census is yet another of the multidisciplinary investigations that has turned the plot into a “grand laboratory in the forest,” says Rolando Pérez, the lead botanist for the 50 hectares. “If we have data on everything we can integrate it in the future and better understand the behavior of a tropical forest.”